frankfort arsonal quick n ez tumbler

[sandman228]

does anyone have 1 of these ? good, bad whatever ? I started out with a cabellas tumbler im sure it wasn't made by cabellas but that's whos name was on it it did a decent job I had no complaints well the other day I came home from the gun range cleaned the guns threw the brass in tumbler ( my usual routine) turned the tumbler on it grunted and groaned a bit shook a little then stopped . I don't feel I had it overloaded or anything there were 50 38 spl cases ,50 357 mag cases and 50 35 rem cases . anyhow I took it apart the motor was shot , I even tried running it with nothing in it at all and it still grunted and groaned and hardly moved . so I figured it was done for its about 6 yrs old maybe it should have lasted longer but they just don't make things like they used to .I figured it was time to buy a new 1 I called every gun shop in this area that was less than an hour away I wanted a lyman turbo I know I could have ordered it from midway , midsouth or others but I wanted it now . all I could come up with locally was this Frankfort arsenal quick n ez tumbler in stock at any local shop 1 wanted 57$ for it the other 44$ for the same tumbler so this is what I ended up buying. I used it the brass came out clean but it seems the brass just goes to the bottom and lays there ,my other tumbler the brass circulated around allot more . I just wanted some other opinions is this thing any good ?

[waltherboy4040]

How many pounds of media do you have in it? I've been using two pounds of media and around one pound of brass for one hour at a time roughly. Cleans great for me.

[mold maker]

I've got two of them running right now. I too noticed the lack of visible rotation, but the brass seems to attain the same polish, in the same amount of time. Only time will tell how durable they are. The ON SALE price difference sold me.
Just had 3 older tumblers give up like yours. A Vibra Shine was the oldest, and Midway's 1292s were years newer.
The basic design of an off center weight is both what makes it work, and what kills it. I tried ever where to find replacement motors to no avail. They should be available for around $12.

[markinalpine]

The motor on your old tumbler may be bound up by old oil. Why don't you try using a penetrating oil like Kroil or WD-40 to dissolve any old oil, blow it out with compressed air, then relubricate the bearings? Or if you just want something new, I'll shut up.
Mark

[1911KY]

Mine worked well with corn cob media. I would put about 200 .45's in it and they would cycle thru pretty well.

Only used it about 2 months though, then I switched to wet tumbling with stainless steel media. It is just sitting on my bench now.

[Tackleberry41]

I have one of the old Midway brand ones, probably Frankfort arsenal. Its been running with pretty heavy abuse since the mid 90s. Tho this was before the time when everything was suddenly made in China. I have a new Frankfort arsenal tumbler bought from Midway, not very old, but doesnt seem to tumble as good as the old one, slower, less aggitation, whatever you want to call it.

[seaboltm]

I had one of the old Midway ones that ran for 20 years. I bought a new Frankfort Arsenal. It's OK, but I think I will eventually upgrade to stainless steel pins in a rotary unit.

[country gent]

You eed to find the right load wieght to get the harmonics right for the agitation. There is alot of dust with dry tumbling and a cooling fan in most of the motors pulling it thru the motor. Try flushing the bearings with a light oil and working it by hand see if it smooths out and spins easily. May be all it takes to get the old one running again. My big Dillon is almost 20 years old now and running great still. I ran a lyman 2200 til the bowl mount let go from stress fatigue. I rebuilt it making a new mount and setting it up with 1-1 pulleys and the weight on a set of bearing seperate of the motor. Drive belt was an o-ring. Worked good and ran for a few more years. Find the load wieght it wants and you will see the agitation again.

[FLYCUTTER]

I have had a few tumblers but by far the best machine out there is the big Dillon CV2001. This machine has drastic improvements from their old machine and will hold over 550, 30-06 cases. You can see the brass moving around the bowl and moving from bottom to top. Its a great investment and worth the price.

[Fyodor]

It's OK, but I think I will eventually upgrade to stainless steel pins in a rotary unit.

When I upgraded I was a bit concerned because of the high price. But it's totally worth it! Less noise, no dust, better and faster results! I will never downgrade to vibrator again.

[Smoke4320]

When I upgraded I was a bit concerned because of the high price. But it's totally worth it! Less noise, no dust, better and faster results! I will never downgrade to vibrator again.

that's what my wife said

[mold maker]

Mine have given their life in long service. They didn't want for lube, and simply wore out. Eventually the bearings got loose enough for the armature to drag on the fields. At that point it's over, and replacement is the only choice.
It will happen to all of them eventually if nothing else goes belly up first. Just a shame to throw all that plastic in the trash, after all I owe them a debt of gratitude.
This is #s 3-4 & 5, that have given up reciently.